Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1887-04-23
How the Rich of that Country Cypress
the Poor, Who Are Foolish Enough to
Less to Eat.
Especial Correspondence
Less to Eat.
Ell PAso, Tex. April 6

stances, because they were property" A
likely negro, worth all the way from 81 200
TO 81 800, would no more be mistreated or
overworked than thoroughbred horse Of
similar value
Peonage pronounced, by the way, pea-own-
age, accent on the first syllable.) is simple in
theory and complex in practice. It In the at
taching OF labor for debt. A species OF udg-
ment is obtained and a mans services belong
10 the creditor until the debt is wiped ont. So
far 1t might be worse, but land here is the
rub) the obligation does not end with the
debtor, but, like the witch's curse In aRuddy-
gore, becomes hereditary and descends from
father to son until satisfied This fact, and
the further fact thas the bulk of Mexican
poems are not the original debtors, but the de-
scendants of debtors, would seem to indicate
that race of active prodigals had once ex-
isted in the land; but, on the contrary, most
Of the debts are under $50 The incredible
poverty and ignorance Of the masses is the
only explanation of this state Of thinga Not
one in 500 can cast up the simplest form of 40
counts. peon is allowed at best only few
chackos day, and a chacko is about q cent
md q quarter. Out of this his food and cloth
ing are charged 1p, and occasionally interest
readily seen that instead of decreasing, the
debt is gradually growing larger and larger,
and the condition Of the poor wretch more
ami more hopeless.
Such Is peonage, compared to which Rus
sian serfdom was pleasant state Of society
The further inland, the more poems and the
arabic lands Of Sonora and Chihuahua are
titled almost exclusively by them. A large
farm in these districts resembles a slave
plantation, except that no care whatever is
paid to the condition of the people. They
are not worth it. At the mines the same
state of things exists, and whether in the
shaft or chilli patch the peon works on, dog
gedly, hopelessly, helplessly, born to it and
knowing nothing better or beyond Food
and clothing are both kept near the vanish
ing point. A little maize and a few chill
pods suffice for one, and pair of overalls,
cotton shirt and straw sombrero for the
other. A pair OF cow hide boots are usual
reward Of merit, and as they are used only
on feast days they will last a peon all his
life, and probably descend with the peonage
to his son. The women wear cheap calico
gowns. and the children nothing at ALL AL
outlay of a few dollars will clothe wholt
family for year. and an actual calculation
shows that they consume about eight cent
worth OF food week per capita.
Women can De peoned as well as men, and
the wife and children Of a peon, regardless Of
sex, share his burden Of bondage. The rich
old Mexicans are generally on the lookout
for special victims. and if they take fancy
to any pretty girl lose no time in peoning her
nearest male relative. A good many Of them
are notorious for this sort of thing. "Honi
soft qui nal y pense." 1t is ostensibly done
in the letter Of the law, but the heart break
ing stories Of ell human ties discovered, Of
families shattered and lives wrecked would
make many a sad volume if half the truth
were told.
The first peon ever saw was at Paso del
Norte, the Mexican town opposite Ell Paso.
was talking to ranchman, when his wagon
was driven up by native, the most wretchedly
clad that had ever seen. The weather was
rather raw, but all the man had on was q
pair of ragged and blue cotton overalls,
hickory" shirt and a hat. He was bare
footed and breathed into his numbed hands
to warm them while he waited. had known
the rancher as liberal man and had no hest
fancy in expressing my surprise that he
should allow one Of his servants to go so
dressed
@Pshaw," he said, laughing, che isn't SER
want, he's peon."
"But why don't you dress him comfortably |
if he is?"
"He's dressed all right. Look at that SOM |
brero. I paid So for that"
The shivering wretch had on gaudy felt,
trimmed with imitation bullion.
"But look at his pants"
"Confound his pants. / tell you these |
Mexicans are like ostriches, as long as they |
have something on their heads they don't car
for their bodies. Give a man a sombrerc
with a few rosettes ON it and woman a
shawl to wrap over her head and it's all on,
to them whether you give them anything
more or not. Here Pedro he added, speak
ing in Spanish, shave you enough clothes to
keep you comfortable"
"Si senor," replied the man, with grin.
I had no more to say. In the interior no
effort is made to treat poems like human
beings II the smallpox, common disease
there breaks out in a colony Of them, they
are driven off into the mountains to die Al |
the mines, the barbarities are hideous and
revolving A good deal has been told and
written Of the cruelties i'll Subterranean 81
IBERIA, but very much doubt if the situation |
Of any convict chained in an underground
gallery is nearly as appalling as that OF hun
QreUS anu vi lucoo VutAlCdn SldVts, !
toiling within days journey Of the land o;
the Free do not say that this is true Of al
mines; at many Of them, and particularly
those owned by American or English com
panies, the management Is humane and adj
mirable in every particular, but it Is true OF
some. In these it is no unusual thing for
Deon to be murdered by some cruel task
master, in plain sight of his wife, who works
by his side, hears his dying shrek. and is
powerleSs to raise her hand to save. This is
no fancy picture, but a dreadful and repeated
reality. 1t is surprising how little Of this is
known, but it is surprising how little is known
in general Of interior Mexico. There are
thousands of square miles where peonage IS q
sacred institution and "wiiite man. is as |
great curiosity as hippograR or unicorn
would be- There whole families are YEARLY
grinding away at debts they hal no more to
10 with than with the deluge. Some ancestor
hey never saw or heard tell Of, drank
100 much mescal one day, or lost few dol
airs at monte, or was tempted to buy z
yilded sombrero on credit, and the mischief
vas done. That they live i'll the darkest
'ort of ignorance and misery goes with
)ut saying, else some fine morning they would
imply quit being poems and all the powers
hat be, at least in Mexico, could not re-
establish the old regime. 1t is like Mark
rwainis bandit, who languished i'll dungeon
or eighteen years before he thought TO see
whether the window was fastened.
EDGAR LEE VANCE.
COLUMBIA COLLEGE CENTENNIAL. |
Brief Resume of the History of the In